Beyond AP CS
Real-world software engineering for students who have finished AP CS A.
- Who it's for
- Students who have completed AP CS A or have solid Java basics
- Format
- Live small-group modules + project reviews
- Duration
- Two modules, ~6–8 weeks each
Taught by an instructor with 15+ years of engineering experience at Fortune 500 companies.
Overview
AP CS A teaches you to pass a test. This track teaches you what comes next. Focused, practical modules where students set up real GitHub projects, build and deploy real applications, learn how modern software actually gets built, and walk into college applications and interviews with something to show for it — not generic coding classes.
What you'll be able to do
- Set up professional GitHub repositories — clear README, meaningful commit history, branches, and a project board — that read like a working engineer's
- Build and deploy a complete backend application you can show colleges, employers, and put on GitHub
- Structure a professional backend and build a REST API from scratch with Spring Boot
- Connect an application to a real database and ship a working project end to end
- Explain how large-scale systems work: load balancing, scalability, and databases at scale
- Understand cloud computing and Infrastructure as Code, and discuss system design in interviews and applications
What this sets you up for
- Competitive CS program applications
- First internship or part-time dev work
- Hackathons and open source
Syllabus
- 01
Module 1 — Java to Spring Boot fundamentals
Starts with developer workflow and GitHub project setup: creating a repository, writing a README, meaningful commits, branches and pull requests, a project board for planning, and keeping secrets out of version control. From there, for students going from 'I can write Java' to 'I can build a real application' — how professional backend applications are structured, building a REST API from scratch with Spring Boot, connecting it to a real database, and deploying it. Outcome: a complete, working backend project on GitHub, built and shipped the way an engineer would — not a worksheet.
- 02
Module 2 — Systems design fundamentals
For college-bound juniors and seniors. What cloud computing actually is, with a Google Cloud Platform overview; core concepts including load balancing, scalability, and databases at scale; Infrastructure as Code and why every modern engineering team uses it; and how to talk intelligently about system design in interviews and applications. No prior cloud experience needed.
Frequently asked
How is this different from the AP Computer Science course?+
AP CS A prepares students for the exam. This track picks up after it — building and deploying real applications and learning how production software is designed and run.
Does my student need to have taken AP CS A?+
They need solid Java fundamentals. Completing AP CS A is the typical starting point, but motivated students with equivalent Java experience are a good fit too.
What will my student have to show at the end?+
A public GitHub profile with real projects on it: a deployed Spring Boot API with a proper README and a clean commit history, plus the planning artifacts behind it. It is the kind of work a student can link in a college application or walk through in an interview.
Isn't there already a Systems Design course?+
Yes — that one is an 8-week course for university students and working engineers. Module 2 here is a lighter, concept-first introduction aimed at high school students, with no prior cloud experience assumed.
Ready to get started?
Book a free intro call or send us a message with your questions.